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“…Are you truly going to give birth to that child, no matter what?” Oliana stepped forward, her eyes firm and voice tinged with reproach, though her concern for Hiyuki was unmistakable.

“Yes. No matter how many times you ask, my answer will not change.” Seated beside the window, Hiyuki answered with a gentle smile, her tone soft but unwavering.

Though her tone could have been seen as disrespectful toward Oliana, now the Empress of the Empire, Hiyuki had a reason she would never back down from. She rested her hand gently on her swollen belly, already well into her second trimester. At this stage, she had likely begun to feel the fluttering of fetal movement within her.

Though the due date was still a ways off, Hiyuki had always been delicate, with a slender frame that seemed it might break under a strong embrace. For someone like her, carrying new life appeared more burden than blessing.

The evidence was written plainly on her face. Once radiant like a rose in full bloom, Hiyuki’s beauty had withered into something pale and worn. Yet in losing that luster, she had gained a quiet grace, a soft glow that seemed to come from her role as a mother. To Oliana, it was a sight as painful as it was noble, and she bit her lip in silent anguish.

Oliana knew full well that no logic or reasoning would sway Hiyuki from her decision. Her kind yet stubborn friend would never abandon her child. And it was exactly because of that bond between them that Oliana could not stand by and remain silent.

“I’m a woman as well. I could never bring myself to suggest something as horrible as ending a pregnancy. But this child is different. No one will accept them. They will be rejected by the world, hated and cursed. Their life will be nothing but endless suffering. They would be born into a cruel fate.”

Hiyuki received her words without flinching, her serene smile unchanged. Meanwhile, Oliana’s distress only deepened.

“I understand it’s not a reason that stands on its own, and I know it’s not my only reason either. The world has always been full of unwanted children. But this child is different. The danger they represent is on an entirely different scale. I’ve heard the real reason your body is failing. Even now, while still unborn, this child holds overwhelming power. You’ve been weakening yourself with constant suppression magic just to contain it. What happens if such a force is born into the world? And when the child learns the truth of their origin, it’s only natural they would resent everything. That resentment will bloom into destruction. And by then, no one left in this world will be strong enough to stop it.”

‘Because by that time, you will no longer be with us!’ Oliana’s heart cried out the words she could not speak.

Like a tree shedding its leaves in late autumn, Hiyuki had been withering day by day ever since her pregnancy was discovered. At first, many believed it to be the natural fatigue of a first-time mother. But no medicine, no healing magic, not even the rarest of elixirs could restore her vitality. Mikoto and Amari, who had been diligently treating her, likened her condition to a bottomless bucket. No matter how much power they poured in, nothing stayed. Simply put, her very life force was being drained away. And the reason was clear.

The child within her was feeding off her life itself.

After discovering the truth and seeing Hiyuki’s fragile state with her own eyes, Oliana could no longer see the child as something to be cherished. To her, it had become a loathsome being—a parasite wearing the guise of a baby.

Hiyuki looked at Oliana with calm, clear eyes, the kind that carried the quiet strength of a loving mother.

“Why do you believe this child will grow to hate the world and be consumed by bitterness? If they come to know love and joy that surpass sorrow, then surely, they will grow strong enough not to be broken by pain. Yes, I know this child will be burdened with hardship from the moment they are born. But there is no one in this world—not even monsters or beasts—who lives free of pain and suffering. Even so, they go on living. This child is no different. I believe in that.”

Oliana was at a loss for words, overwhelmed by the firm response of her friend. She turned her head to the side with a heavy sigh, her expression bleak.

“I never expected to hear something so optimistic from you. People are far more cruel and unforgiving than you imagine. This world isn’t strong enough to accept something as heretical as a being that could destroy it. When that child grows up and tries to bring about the world’s end, can you truly take responsibility for it? To bring a life into the world only to leave its fate to others… doesn’t that feel unbearably irresponsible?”

“…I plan to support this child with everything I have.”

“And how exactly do you intend to do that? You can barely carry the burden now, how do you expect to survive childbirth like this? It’s still not too late. Please, end this pregnancy. You’ve suffered enough. You don’t have to keep enduring it!”

Oliana pleaded, her voice cracking with desperation, as though her very soul was unraveling. Hiyuki could only watch her with a pained, conflicted expression.

“Oliana, not once have I seen myself as unfortunate, nor have I viewed this child as a burden. To me, they are a precious, irreplaceable treasure.”

Hiyuki continued, but her words did little to sway Oliana. As her friend’s sharp gaze bore into her, Hiyuki looked away and turned toward one of the guests behind her—Chloe, wife of King Collard, gently holding her newborn child born earlier that spring.

“When I look back on who I used to be, I see how incomplete I was. Something had always been missing. But now, I feel whole. As a woman, as a mother, giving birth allows me to truly become part of this world. There is nothing more fulfilling than that. Still, thank you for your concern. I truly mean it.”

Her words, sounding almost like a farewell, made Oliana flinch. Her face contorted with a mixture of sorrow and frustration, and she was about to speak when Chloe’s calm voice rose behind them.

“Imperial Princess—though I suppose I should say Empress now. Still, allow me the habit of using the old title. Becoming a mother is always a matter of life and death. But if a woman can bring life into the world, she can bear anything that follows.”

Oliana lowered her head, frustration weighing heavy on her shoulders as Chloe’s steady voice filled the room. Quietly, almost inaudibly, she muttered to herself, “I still can’t accept this…”

“I would have offered the same advice had the Princess shown even the slightest hesitation. But it seems nothing I say will make a difference now.”

Chloe stepped forward, gently cradling her child, and King Collard soon followed beside her. Hiyuki responded with a quiet, grateful nod.

“Oh, before I forget, I have a small, selfish request for the two of you.”
“And what would that be?”

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